fake quotes

F. Scott Fitzgerald Gets Credit Where Credit Isn’t Due

/ Sue Brewton / Leave a comment

Today’s post concerns a quote that is widely misattributed to F. Scott Fitzgerald.  It appears most commonly on the internet as well as in a few modern books.

The Misattributed Quote

✘ “Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Correct Quote

✓ “Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.”
Eric Roth
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay
Dir. David Fincher
Paramount Pictures, 2008.

The Cause of the Misattribution

The correct author of this quote is the screenwriter, Eric Roth, who wrote the screenplay for the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which is based on the short story of the same name written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Obviously the confusion stems from two different works, a screenplay and a short story, having the same title.  It should be noted that even though a screenplay is based on a book or a short story, that does not mean it will contain the same narration or dialogue.  In this case, the quote appears in the screenplay only which means Eric Roth is the correct source.

The Sources of the Misattribution

After analyzing 88 websites featuring this misquote, I found that 37% are quote websites, and 35% are blogs.  The remaining 28% are either book websites or social media sites.

Note that quote websites make up the largest percentage.  This demonstrates that you should never trust a quote from a quote website.  Although it would seem that a site specializing in such a narrow subject matter would be a reliable resource, in reality it is not.  The quotes featured on these websites are not verified quotes.

Blogs are the second highest percentage, so it goes without saying that they are also not a good resource for quotes.

For Sale

Much like the misquotes in my previous posts, today’s misquote is available for purchase.  It can be found on a site selling wall art, and depending on the size of the decal, the price range is $31.95 to $49.95.  I would say that’s a pretty decent profit for flawed merchandise.

Most Disappointing Find

The most disappointing thing about this misquote is that it appears on websites that celebrate books.  Some of them are strictly dedicated to quotes from books, and some of them feature reviews and discussion about books.  What I find interesting is that readers have posted today’s misquote as their “favorite” quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which they supposedly just finished reading and are now reviewing and commenting on.  I’ve seen posts of this nature on several different websites.  For example, one reader lists ten of her “favorite quotes from some amazing books,” and her second one is today’s misquote complete with a photo of the book.  This person is the primary book reviewer on this website, and clearly she did not really read Fitzgerald’s short story.  One has to wonder how many people are “faking it” on these bibliophile sites.  Being a book lover myself, I’m actually very disheartened by this discovery.

Kill the Quote Virus

In conclusion, what I call the “quote virus” is continuing to spread its germs across the internet.  To learn how you can avoid getting duped and infected by the virus, go to my “What You Can Do” page for a list of pitfalls to avoid.  Please be sure to share the knowledge.  I will close once again with my nerdy little mantra:

Investigate.  Don’t propagate.  Demand integrity in quoting.”

©Sue Brewton

No, that’s not how Benjamin Franklin wrote it.

/ Sue Brewton / Leave a comment

Today’s misworded quote is not as ubiquitous as the one in my previous post; however, it is a good example of how a quote can morph into an entirely different quote as it propagates across the internet and modern literature.  Please note I have underlined the words within the quote that have changed over time.

The Misworded Quote

✘ “Work as if you were to live a thousand years, play as if you were to die tomorrow.”
Benjamin Franklin

The Correct Quote

✓ “Work as if you were to live 100 years, pray as if you were to die to-morrow.”
Benjamin Franklin
Poor Richard’s Almanac, May 1757

Here is the quote found in Poor Richard’s Almanac:

The quote found in Poor Richard’s Almanac, May 1757

The quote found in Poor Richard’s Almanac, May 1757

The Sources of the Misworded Quote

Like all other misquotes floating around in cyberspace, this misquote appears on blogs and social media websites.  But more importantly it rears its ugly head on websites solely dedicated to providing quotes.  One would think websites that appear to be an authority on a very specific topic would provide reliable data.  Unfortunately, this is not true of quote websites.

Additionally, this misworded quote appears in a recently published book of strictly Benjamin Franklin quotes.  Obviously, the author of this book did no research to ensure that only verified quotes were used.  One would think that a book on so narrow a topic would be authoritative and accurate.  The truth is that, much like quote websites, modern quote books are not reliable sources.

Finally, I came across another book recently published about Benjamin Franklin’s life, and the author includes this misquote on the book’s website.  Thankfully, it is not featured in the book itself; otherwise, the book and the author would lose complete credibility.

The only books that can be trusted for quotes are books that include the name of the author/orator of the quote, the work in which the quote is found, AND the location of the quote within the work (e.g. chapter, act, scene, stanza, line).  This last piece of data is important as I have come across many misquotes that attribute the author along with the title of the work when in fact one or both are false.

Most Amusing Find

My most amusing find is a website that sells term papers to students and offers this misquote as a topic to choose from.  I wonder what the profits are from this sham!  The bottom line is you can’t believe everything you read.  Always question the author and the source.

Earwitness Accounts are Not Reliable

To avoid confusion regarding the source of today’s misquote, I want to mention that the first part of the misquote is very similar to another quote commonly attributed to Ann Lee (1736-1784), a Shaker leader and founder of the Shaker Society.  Because she was illiterate and could not write, the only sources available for her quotes are earwitness accounts.  Because each account is slightly different, there are variations of the quote.  Here are two examples:

  • “Do all your work as though you had a thousand years to live, and as though you were going to die to-morrow.”
  • “Do all your work as though you had a thousand years to live, and as you would if you knew you must die to-morrow.”

Obviously, this quote repeats the sentiment of the first half only of today’s misquote, but because they are so similar, be aware that if you search the internet for the misquote, you will probably come across both Franklin and Lee as the source.

Translated Quotes are Not Reliable

I should also mention that there is a Latin quote that has several translations, one of which is extremely similar.  It is:

  • “Work as if you were to live a thousand years, live as if you were to die tomorrow.”

The caveats are that this quote can be found attributed to Ansalus de Insulis, St. Edmund of Abingdon, and unknown, so its origins are sketchy.  And since it is translated from Latin, there are many variations.  The actual Latin wording is Disce ut semper victurus, vive ut cras moriturus.  My research has found these additional translations:

  • “Work as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow.”
  • “Study as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow.”
  • “Learn so that you may be victorious; live so that tomorrow you may be prepared to die.”
  • “Learn as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow.”

The last translation is also commonly attributed to Mahatma Gandhi except the statement order is reversed with the “live as” clause occurring before the “learn as” clause.  So if you decide to do some internet research, be aware that in addition to Benjamin Franklin and Ann Lee, you will also probably find Ansalus de Insulis, St. Edmund of Abingdon, Mahatma Gandhi, and unknown as the source.

Conclusion on Unreliable Quotes

In summary, secondary sources or ear-witness accounts are unreliable and should not be used as direct quotes.  A hearsay quote would be a lot more trustworthy if it were derived from an actual interview that is conducted with the cooperation of the quoted person and is published during his/her lifetime.  Additionally, quotes that are translated from another language are also not reliable.  Every translator has a slightly different interpretation.  And as today’s misquote demonstrates, all it takes is the tweaking of one or two words, and the quote takes on another life.  Two slightly different translations can morph into four slightly different quotes which can morph into eight and so on and so forth.  Yup, it’s that pesky quote virus I’ve been preaching about.  Until someone can invent some kind of vaccine for it, we need to practice safe quoting by only using verified quotes.  So check your sources!  And remember

Investigate.  Don’t propagate.  Demand integrity in quoting.”

©Sue Brewton

No, Louisa May Alcott did not write that.

/ Sue Brewton / Leave a comment

The topic of today’s post is a motivational quote that is not only falsely attributed to Louisa May Alcott but is sometimes taken out of context.  It is very popular on quote websites as well as social media.  My findings are as follows.

The Misattributed Quote

✘ “He who believes is strong, he who doubts is weak.  Strong convictions precede great actions.”
Louisa May Alcott

The Correct Quote

✓ “He who believes is strong, he who doubts is weak.  Strong convictions precede great actions.”
James Freeman Clarke
Common-Sense in Religion: A Series of Essays, chapter XV

The Correct Source

The correct author of this quote is James Freeman Clarke (1810–1888), an American theologian.  His book Common-Sense in Religion: A Series of Essays (James R. Osgood and Company, 1874) features this quote in chapter XV.  Here is the excerpt:

The Correct Quote Found in Chapter XV of Common-Sense in Religion by James Freeman Clarke

The Quote Found in Chapter XV of Common-Sense in Religion by James Freeman Clarke

The Sources of the Misattribution

To see how widespread this misquote is, I did a search on Google, and it returned ten pages worth of websites incorrectly attributing this quote to Louisa May Alcott.  The irony is that the vast majority of them are quote websites or websites presenting quotes as a major feature.  The remaining sites featuring the misquote are mostly blogs and social media.  It even rears its ugly head in an article written by a university professor.  Obviously, these are not good sources for verified quotes.  Never trust a source that does not include details about the quote such as the work in which it is found accompanied by corresponding information such as chapter, act, scene, stanza, line, etc.

For Sale

This particular misquote also appears on a website that is dedicated to creating customized quote paraphernalia such as coffee mugs, posters, awards, etc.  The site provides the quote, and the customer chooses the product on which the quote is to appear.  Although the quote can be edited by the customer, I would imagine most people would assume the information is correct and leave it as is.  One has to wonder how much money is being made on these flawed products.

Out of Context

Finally, I noticed that this misquote oddly appears on several anti-bullying websites.  One of them actually includes it under the category “Famous Bullying Quotes.”  This quote is in fact not about bullying at all.  As mentioned earlier, it is from a book written by the theologian James Freeman Clarke titled Common-Sense in Religion: A Series of Essays in a chapter titled “Common-Sense View of Salvation by Faith.”  Clearly the subject matter is not bullying.  Although the words can be interpreted with an anti-bullying sentiment, to assert they are specifically about bullying is taking the quote out of context.  This is a prime example of how a “quote virus” propagates (yes, I made up that term).  All it took to spread this infection was one person posting this misquote on one anti-bullying website, and from there it multiplied to other anti-bullying websites.  The end result is that there is now a growing number of people in the world who not only believe this is a quote by Louisa May Alcott but also believe it is a famous bullying quote.  And this group of poor, lost souls swirling around in the misquote eddy of despair will only continue to grow.

Final Diagnosis

The final diagnosis is that this quote is showing symptoms of misattribution and erroneous context because it has been infected by the quote virus.  Without intervention, it will continue to spread.  Quick!  Somebody call a doctor!  We need the vaccine!  Oh yeah . . . there is no vaccine.  Well, I guess the next best thing is to educate.  You can help stop this infection from spreading by sharing the knowledge.  Share this post with friends and family, and follow my tips on the “What You Can Do” page.  And remember to

“Investigate.  Don’t Propagate.  Demand integrity in quoting.”

©Sue Brewton